Infrastructure Grades Are In: Pennsylvania Passes, But Only Barely

Pennsylvania's roads and bridges were each given a D+ in the report card.

Margaret Sun
/ 90.5 WESA

Listen

Listening...

/

40:13

90.5 WESA's "The Confluence" for Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2018

Infrastructure is more than roads, bridges and water lines.

Cathy Farrell co-chairs the Pennsylvania report card committee through the American Society of Civil Engineers, which grades the nation's infrastructure in 18 categories, including freight rail, wastewater, roads, bridges and more. Farrell says Pennsylvania's less-than-admirable score of C- hasn’t changed since the last report card was issued in 2014, but the influencers affecting it has.

The forthcoming Good Question! book is available only by becoming a supporting member of WESA.

Credit 90.5 WESA

Transit is also a source of endless curiosity among WESA listeners. From ghost ramps to skybuses, reporter Katie Blackley says nearly one-fourth of all Good Question! queries have been about how Pittsburgh moves.

Elsewhere in the program, several candidates have already thrown their hat in the ring for Pittsburgh City Council, including activist Leon Ford, well before the May 2019 primary.

WESA editor Chris Potter takes a look at how extended election seasons among national offices have impacted those at the local level.

People suffering from serious mental illnesses sometimes expect to wait months -- or even years -- before they get treatment. WITF’s Brett Sholtis reports that treatment waitlists have become a problem across the Commonwealth.

The Confluence, where the news comes together, is 90.5 WESA’s daily news program. Tune in weekdays at 9 a.m. to hear newsmakers and innovators join veteran journalist Kevin Gavin, taking an in-depth look at stories important to the Pittsburgh region. Find more episodes of The Confluence here.

Whether it’s participating in a match program to socialize with immigrant families or lending a helping hand at a soup kitchen, Pittsburghers are volunteering at a nationally recognized rate. Nearly 38 percent of local residents volunteer, placing the city in seventh place nationally for its collective rate of volunteerism.

Time is running out for Congress to pass a new farm bill before both chambers break for the year. In Pennsylvania – and around the country – that means hundreds of thousands of low-income residents are still waiting to see if their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — or SNAP — benefits will be subject to stricter work requirements.